'I have gone from the hunter to being the hunted' - Kyren Wilson feels he's the man to beat at UK Championship

Updated 03/12/2021 at 19:59 GMT

“I want these titles, I want to have my name in the accolades when I retire," Wilson said following his win over Ronnie O'Sullivan. "So you have to be able to handle these pressure moments. It would mean everything to win the title. The only thing missing from my CV are the big titles. As long as I leave everything out there, try and compete to the highest level, that’s all I can ask for."

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Kyren Wilson feels his win over Ronnie O’Sullivan has changed the dynamic of the UK Championship, with him now the man to beat.

Wilson held his nerve to claim a 6-5 win, after O'Sullivan had rallied from 5-3 down to force a deciding frame. A break of 102 sealed the deal for Wilson and set up a semi-final meeting with Luca Brecel.

Wilson is confident in his own ability to get the job done, but feels he is now a player with a target on his back.

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“I know the situation now,” Wilson told Eurosport.

I have gone from the hunter to being the hunted, maybe. I’ve got to take that and try to deal with that. And to enjoy it at the same time.

“I want these titles, I want to have my name in the accolades when I retire. So you have to be able to handle these pressure moments.

"It would mean everything to win the title. The only thing missing from my CV are the big titles. As long as I leave everything out there, try and compete to the highest level, that’s all I can ask for.

“If I win, I win. If I don’t, so be it. I have plenty of time on my side and I will come back.”

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Wilson was pleased with how he closed out the match in the deciding frame.

“When you take it out in one visit, you come off feeling - untouchable is not the word as you can never think like that - you are very proud you have stood up to the utmost pressure,” Wilson said. “I am delighted with that performance.”

The 2020 World Championship runner-up arrived at the Barbican in York with a new cue in hand, and he has admitted to tinkering with his game in order to make improvements.

“It has taken me a long time to find it,” he said. “I have tinkered along the way, I’ve changed cues, changed tips and this and that. I have found something this week that has settled my mind, and that is key when you are out there.

“We (Wilson and his brother) work very hard behind the scenes,” he said. “It is nice to enjoy these moments together. We have got to keep grounded as there is a long way still to go.

“It is hours and hours of hard work and sacrifice. We have been trying to find my timing, that sweet spot when I need it under the utmost pressure. It showed there in the decider. I had it go against me at 5-3, Ronnie heaped on the pressure and I handled that.”